| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit college; one campus plus fully online programs |
| Campus | 1, in Enola, PA, near Harrisburg (the college calls it the Summerdale campus) |
| Credentials | Certificates, associate degrees (AAS and AS), bachelor’s degrees and a Master of Professional Studies |
| Typical length | Certificates from about 9 months; associate degrees about 15 to 24 months |
| Calendar | 11-week terms, four a year |
| Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education (reaffirmed 2022; next self-study 2029-30) |
| Federal aid | Yes: grants, loans and work-study |
| Undergraduate tuition | $525 per credit, the same for every student (rate page undated) |
| Students | About 670 to 690, roughly 80% part-time |
| Founded | 1881, in Harrisburg, as Pennsylvania Business College |
| Facts checked | 11 October 2026 |
Central Penn College: a small career college near Harrisburg
Central Penn College is a small private, for-profit college in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, a few minutes from downtown Harrisburg. It was founded in 1881 as Pennsylvania Business College on Market Street in Harrisburg and moved to its present campus in 1970. Niche lists 671 undergraduates, 531 of them part-time (checked October 2026). Its main career programs are health associate degrees and certificates taught on campus, such as Medical Assisting, Surgical Technology and the occupational and physical therapist assistant degrees, alongside business, hospitality and sports-management programs that can be taken fully online.
The college has been getting smaller. Its Lancaster Center closed in 2023, and by July 2026 it had closed 13 programs to new students, including its information technology degrees, Legal Studies, Paralegal, RN to BSN, the Medical Assisting diploma and the Healthcare Management certificate.
Programs on the Enola campus and online
The health programs below meet on the campus or in hybrid form; most business programs can be completed fully online. Most program pages do not give total credits, so tuition totals are shown only where the credits are published, and they leave out fees.
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery | Accreditation / exam | Tuition at $525 a credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assisting | AAS | As little as 18 months plus internship | Campus or hybrid | CAAHEP-accredited; CMA (AAMA) exam | Credits not published |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | AAS | About 18 months plus internship | Campus; day and evening cohorts | CAPTE: accreditation – warning; PTA licensing exam | Credits not published |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | AAS | 24 months or less, plus fieldwork | Campus evenings or hybrid | ACOTE-accredited; NBCOT exam (COTA) | Credits not published |
| Surgical Technology | AAS | About 18 months, including a 120-case internship | Campus | CAAHEP-accredited; NBSTSA exam (CST) | Credits not published |
| Dental Assistant | Certificate | As little as 9 months (3 terms) | Campus; 240-hour externship | Not CODA-accredited; no exam named | Credits not published |
| Expanded Function Dental Assistant | Certificate | – | – | Approved by the PA State Board of Dentistry | – |
| Dental Assisting | Associate degree (page added June 2026) | About 18 months | Hybrid, labs on campus | Includes EFDA preparation | – |
| Phlebotomy Technician | Certificate, 19 credits | As little as 9 months | Evening hybrid, labs on campus | A certification exam (agency not named) | $9,975 |
| Medical Billing & Coding | Certificate, 18 credits | As little as 9 months | Online | AAPC exam (optional, $425 extra) | $9,450 |
| Healthcare Management | BS | As few as 18 months as a 2+2 completion degree | Online only | – | – |
| Accounting, Business Administration, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management | Certificates, AS and BS | – | Online or campus | – | – |
| Hotel and Restaurant Management | AAS | – | Online | – | – |
Programmatic accreditation, as the college lists it: CAAHEP for Medical Assisting and Surgical Technology, ACOTE for the Occupational Therapy Assistant degree, and CAPTE for the Physical Therapist Assistant degree, whose status the program page shows as “accreditation – warning”. The Expanded Function Dental Assistant certificate is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry; no dental program is CODA-accredited. The Health Science BS is a pre-professional degree for students heading to graduate programs such as physical therapy, and it leads to no license on its own.
Central Penn also offers criminal justice, child care management, behavioral health, psychology, communications and organizational leadership programs, and an online Cannabis Business certificate that covers business and retail, not cultivation or lab work. It has no nursing program that leads to an RN or LPN license.
What the main programs cover
Medical Assisting (AAS)
The degree takes as little as 18 months, followed by an internship, and is taught on campus or in a hybrid format. It is accredited by CAAHEP on the recommendation of MAERB, and graduates are prepared for the American Association of Medical Assistants’ CMA exam, whose fee is billed in the last term. The college does not publish the internship’s hours. Clinical placements are not guaranteed for students who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Credits carry into the college’s online BS in Healthcare Management as a 2+2 pathway.
Physical Therapist Assistant (AAS)
The program takes about 18 months plus an internship, and it runs as two separate cohorts, day and evening, and admits a limited cohort twice a year. Graduates take the national licensing exam for physical therapist assistants. CAPTE first accredited the program in 1988; the program page now shows its status as “accreditation – warning”, without a date or reason, and lists the next site visit for March 2030. The evening cohort’s graduation and licensing-exam results have been weaker than the day cohort’s in both 2024 and 2025.
Occupational Therapy Assistant (AAS)
The degree takes 24 months or less and is accredited by ACOTE. Students choose an on-campus evening schedule or a hybrid one, with core courses online and labs on campus two evenings a week. Fieldwork is part of the program; the college links a fieldwork manual but does not publish the hours. Graduates sit the NBCOT exam to become Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants. As with the other health programs, clinical placement is not guaranteed for students who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Surgical Technology (AAS)
The program takes about 18 months and is accredited by CAAHEP through ARC/STSA. It ends with an internship in which students must complete 120 surgical cases, after off-site observation, and students provide their own transport to these sites. Applicants need a high-school GPA of 2.5 or a GED score of 500, plus a C or better in two sciences and one algebra course. Once admitted, students need a background check, immunizations and American Heart Association BLS/CPR before the internship. Graduates prepare for the NBSTSA’s CST exam.
Dental assisting
The Dental Assistant certificate takes as little as nine months, in three terms and six courses, and ends with a clinical externship of at least 240 hours. Its page names no certification exam, and the program is not CODA-accredited. Pennsylvania’s expanded-function role has its own certificate, approved by the State Board of Dentistry. In June 2026 the college added a hybrid Dental Assisting associate degree of about 18 months, with labs in person and EFDA preparation built in; ask whether it is enrolling yet.
Phlebotomy Technician (certificate)
The 19-credit certificate can be finished in as little as nine months. It is taught as an evening hybrid: coursework is online, and labs on the campus are required. An externship completes the program, but the college does not say how many hours it lasts or how many successful draws students need. The page says graduates are prepared for a certification exam and mentions the CPT credential without naming the certifying agency, so check which exam you would sit. No NAACLS accreditation is listed.
Tuition, fees and paying for it
Central Penn charges one undergraduate rate, $525 per credit, for every major and every student, whether they live in Pennsylvania or another state and whether they study online or on campus. The tuition page is undated; its bill schedule runs through Fall 2026, while the tuition section of the 2026-27 catalog still labels its rates 2025-26 and says they may change without notice. Confirm the rate with the college before you enroll.
| Item (rate page undated; bill schedule through Fall 2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate tuition, every student, online or on campus | $525 per credit |
| Master of Professional Studies tuition | $693 per credit |
| Student and technology fee | $510 per term at 5 or more credits; $315 at 4 or fewer |
| Health program lab fees | $200 per term (PTA, OTA, Health Science); $250 per term (Medical Assisting, Phlebotomy, Dental Assistant, Surgical Technology) |
| CMA exam fee (Medical Assisting) | $125, billed in the final term |
| Books and supplies | About $350 to $450 per term |
| Housing | $1,595 per term (Super Suite), plus $330 per term for utilities |
| Meal plans | $550 to $1,125 per term |
The college offers a three-payment plan with a $35 application fee. Niche, using federal data, puts the average net price at $17,263 a year (checked October 2026), and the college’s net price calculator gives a personal estimate.
Central Penn takes federal student aid (grants, loans and work-study). Its scholarships for Summer and Fall 2026 starts include a Regional Scholarship of $3,000 over six terms for students from seven south-central Pennsylvania counties, an Academic Scholarship of $1,000 a term for a 3.5 GPA, an Opportunity Scholarship of $500 a term for up to 10 terms, a $1,500 Transfer Scholarship for students with 30 or more credits, and an Out-of-State Scholarship that matches the PA Grant up to $1,000 a term for students living on campus.
For military students the college accepts GI Bill Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35 and 1606 and the Pennsylvania National Guard’s EAP, lists federal Tuition Assistance at $250 per credit (capped at 16 credits and $4,500 per fiscal year), and takes part in Yellow Ribbon, paying up to half of the gap above the VA’s cap with the VA matching it.
Admission steps and the 11-week calendar
The college runs four 11-week terms a year (Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring). Credits are semester credit hours, and full-time study is 12 credits a term. Classes are offered by day, in the evening, in person, online and in hybrid form.
Health programs add their own entry steps. Surgical Technology sets GPA and science prerequisites and requires a background check, immunizations and CPR before the internship; the Physical Therapist Assistant program admits a limited cohort twice a year; and the Medical Assisting, Occupational Therapy Assistant and Surgical Technology pages say clinical placement is not guaranteed for students who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Online students need reliable internet, and international students must take at least three-quarters of their courses on the campus.
Accreditation and results
Central Penn is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which reaffirmed its accreditation in 2022; the next self-study is due in 2029-30, according to the college. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education approves it to award associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduates working in their field or continuing their education within a year | 89.2% of graduates with known outcomes | 2024-25 graduates, college program pages |
| Graduation rate, first-time full-time students, within 150% of normal time | 53% (four-year average 42%) | Most recent cohort, year not stated; average of 2016-2019 cohorts; college Student Right to Know page |
| Medical Assisting job placement | 86.67% | Cumulative 2020-2024, from the program’s 2025 annual report to MAERB |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant, NBCOT exam | 100% pass rate for the third year in a row | College announcement, 15 January 2026 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant graduation | 6 of 10 entrants in 2025 (the college shows 100% after leaving out 4 non-academic withdrawals); 13 of 13 in 2024 | College program page |
| Physical Therapist Assistant, licensing-exam pass rate | Day cohort 81.8% (2025), 95.2% (2024); evening cohort 40% (2025), 80% (2024) | College program page |
| Physical Therapist Assistant graduation | Day 81.8% (2025); evening 66.7% (2025) | College program page |
The 89.2% figure counts only graduates whose outcomes the college knows, and the 53% graduation rate covers first-time, full-time students only; the college says part-time and transfer students, more than half of its enrollment, are left out.
Before you enroll
- The Physical Therapist Assistant program is on “accreditation – warning” with CAPTE, and the evening cohort’s 2025 licensing-exam pass rate was 40%. Ask the college what the warning is about and which cohort you would join.
- The college has been cutting back: the Lancaster Center closed in 2023, and 13 programs, including every information technology degree, Legal Studies, Paralegal and RN to BSN, stopped taking new students by July 2026.
- The Dental Assistant certificate is not CODA-accredited and its page names no certification exam, so check which credential you can sit for when you finish.
- About four in five students study part-time, and the published graduation rate leaves them out.
- The tuition page is undated and the 2026-27 catalog still labels its rates 2025-26. Ask for the current rate and fees in writing.
One campus near Harrisburg
All classroom and lab teaching happens on one 58-acre campus at 600 Valley Rd., Enola, PA 17025, which the college calls the Summerdale campus (its mailing address uses Summerdale). The health programs, the Health Science BS and campus sections of business and criminal justice courses meet here, and the fully online programs are run from the same campus. The college closed its Lehigh Valley location in 2015 and its Lancaster Center in 2023.
Housing and internships
Central Penn has residence halls on the campus; a Super Suite room costs $1,595 per term, and online students may live on campus only with approval. Work experience is built into the health programs: the Medical Assisting and Physical Therapist Assistant internships, Occupational Therapy Assistant fieldwork, the 120-case Surgical Technology internship, the 240-hour dental externship and the phlebotomy externship. The Medical Assisting, OTA, PTA and Surgical Technology degrees lead into the online BS in Healthcare Management.
What students say
On Niche, Central Penn College is rated 3.95 out of 5 from 250 reviews (checked 11 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise small classes and close relationships with professors, career-focused coursework tied to real jobs, and evening and online formats that suit working adults. The most common complaints are limited sports, clubs, library and computer-lab facilities, and mixed views of teaching: Niche’s professors grade is C+, and 75% of students in a Niche poll said they like most things but wish some were different. The newest dated reviews are from February 2025 and September 2024, so the reviews say little about the college since its recent program cuts, and we could not tell whether they were invited by the school.
Sources
Checked 11 October 2026: Tuition, fees and bill schedule · Accreditations · Programs not currently enrolling · 2026-27 catalog · Physical Therapist Assistant program · Graduation rates · Niche
Programs & Courses
Health (on campus or hybrid)
- Medical Assisting (AAS)
- Physical Therapist Assistant (AAS)
- Occupational Therapy Assistant (AAS)
- Surgical Technology (AAS)
- Dental Assistant (certificate)
- Expanded Function Dental Assistant (certificate)
- Dental Assisting (associate degree, new in 2026)
- Phlebotomy Technician (certificate)
- Health Science (BS, pre-professional)
Health administration (mostly online)
- Medical Billing & Coding (certificate)
- Medical Office Assistant (certificate)
- Healthcare Management (BS)
- Health Care Administration (BS Business Administration concentration)
Business (mostly online)
- Accounting (AS, BS)
- Bookkeeping (certificate)
- Business Administration (BS)
- Entrepreneurship & Small Business (AS, certificate)
- Marketing (AS, certificate)
- Digital Marketing (certificate)
- Human Resource Management (certificate)
- Organizational Leadership (BS, MPS)
- Communications (AS)
- Cannabis Business (certificate)
Hospitality and sports (online)
- Hotel and Restaurant Management (AAS)
- Sports Management (certificate, BS concentration, MPS concentration)
Criminal justice and human services
- Criminal Justice (AS, certificate)
- Criminal Justice Administration (BS)
- Child Care Management (AAS, certificate)
- Behavioral Health (certificate)
- Psychology (BS)
Campus Locations
Harrisburg (Enola), PA 600 Valley Rd., Enola, PA 17025